"Gentlemen, I wouldn't mind if you could lead with fist and blade... and a hearty kick where necessary!"Aredhel readied himself to break the window pane and sling unpleasantness at ratmen outside."Soon, a feast for crows!" Carus gloated, heedless of the fact that he was a raven. Let's hope other corvids were invited to the feast, too.

Logged

"Captain, the buttocks are moving from the pink into the red and purple spectrum! We cannot maintain this rate of spanking any longer!"

Moving adjacent to the chamber's narrow portal, Korchel unlimbered his battleaxe. The dwarven exile began chanting, his smoke-roughened voice rising in a sibilant incantation. Smoky threads of destiny began to take shape before him, ready to guide his weapon toward its target once the door was opened.

The group glanced back and forth at one another; the time for hesitation was over. Helgkhor was the one who opened the door, pushing it gently out. The torchlight flickered, threatening to snuff out as a chill wind entered the cabin. Korchel uttered an incantation to augment his accuracy, and Aredhel readied his sling next to the window. Atacuso and Metandris both kept back a couple of paces. The half-elf readied his bow and Metandris's raccoon friend hissed quietly at his feet. Mactis kept back also, the filthy ratman sniffing the air nervously, "Fat-Rat and friends will be over the far side, friends! Careful of Ratholta's crossbow!"

Outside, the deck was slick with the drizzle of rain. The tattered remains of the main-mast stood tall in the middle, and off to one side was a rare sight - an ancient cannon, rusty and looking very tired. a staircase rested just to their left which led to the roof of the cabin.On the far side of the deck, a ramshackle rain-shelter had been created using several sails stitched together and scavenged wood. Underneath this rain shelter, Helgkhor could see a massive ratman - at least a head taller than the ones down below and twice the girth - paced back and forth in front of a ragged 'throne-like' chair made from driftwood. Another were-rat stood next to Ratholta, watching it's leader fearfully. Helgkhor spotted the third ratman peering over the side of the ship, down to the ground. None of the creatures had noticed the door open yet."Argh, where is Mactis!?" Ratholta snorted, "I told him to come straight back up, d**n it! What's going on down there! Clumm!"The ratman peering over the edge jumped to attention and looked back to Ratholta, "I don' see nothin', Ratholta! Want me go down there?""No... Not yet - give that scrawny wretch another minute." Ratholta bellowed and sunk his grotty hand into a large sack behind his throne, pulling out a rotting apple and devouring it greedily. The third rat-man watched silently, licking it's lips.

Back in the cabin, Mactis wrung his hands together impatiently, "Yess, we should kill them all!"

Posting a little visual-aid map thing in OOC. Three rat-men are visible, and none have noticed the door open. What do you all do?

As the magic's power surrounded him, Korchel rushed forth to offer battle to the "fat rat". Draconic maledictions filled the air as the dragon augur raised his battle axe for a reckless, scythe-like slash.

Aredhel raised one eyebrow as the dwarf bumbled across the deck, fate twisting to let him avoid an oily puddle here, a tattered rope there... and then, the furry ball of fury flailed at the rat-man... most curious. He shrugged and sprayed one of the rat-guards with a little acid, to get the battle rolling - and to distract them a little from the reckless dwarf, no less!"Carus, please - take a look at possible surprises on the field of battle, from above. No one should be able to object to your survey right now.""And Mactis - there might be an opportunity to back-stab that despicable Fat Rat or his cronies when Helgkhor and Korchel are distracting them; please go ahead if you feel like doing so."

Logged

"Captain, the buttocks are moving from the pink into the red and purple spectrum! We cannot maintain this rate of spanking any longer!"